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Even after two decades writing about the personal finance aspects of housing, Elizabeth Razzi finds there’s always more to talk about. Buying and selling, improving, insuring, squabbling with the homeowners association -- whatever the housing topic, let this be your virtual back fence.

Long & Foster Realtors is trying to coax the employed-but-worried into the market with a new job-loss protection program. Agents throughout the company are just getting training on the new "Buy Confident" program, which will be rolled out shortly through all of Long & Foster's offices in the mid-Atlantic. Some new-home builders have started offering such protection on their sales, but it's rare for the coverage to be offered on resales marketed through a giant brokerage such as Long & Foster.

Michael K. Lewis, 57, and Earnest Lewis, 52, both of Takoma Park, have pleaded guilty to charges associated with a foreclosure-prevention scheme marketed through television ads, according to an announcement from Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
As reported in my earlier posting, Cheryl Brooke, 52, of Upper Marlboro, and Winston Thomas, 43, of New Carrollton, pleaded guilty this week to charges associated with the same foreclosure-prevention plan.

If anyone doubts there are "smooth-talking con artists who take advantage of people who fall behind on their mortgage payments," to quote Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, consider the story of two locals who appear to have prison sentences of up to 20 years in their futures--and that's on just one of the charges. They also agreed to forfeit more than $2.2 million in proceeds from criminal activity.
Yesterday Cheryl Brooke, 52, of Upper Marlboro and Winston Thomas, 43, of New Carrollton, pleaded guilty to participating in a foreclosure-avoidance scheme that defrauded homeowners and mortgage lenders, according to an announcement from Rosenstein's office.

Today's question is not whether it's a good time to buy a home. Real estate agents spout the line so consistently, it's become kinda funny. Instead we have little game of Complete this Sentence: It's a great time to buy a home because...........